Swiss Chard Soup with Lentils
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This scrumptious Swiss chard soup takes one pot, it’s ready in 30 minutes and will surprise your taste buds! Hearty red lentils combined with green Swiss chard, garlic, and broth infused with cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Finished with a bright splash of lemon juice, fresh coriander, and chili flakes.
Healthy and deliciously warming, this creamy soup is a great way to use your fresh, lush Swiss chard and its colorful stems too!
Swiss chard is a powerhouse of nutrients and it’s very versatile. I love pairing it with red lentils, they cook fast and break down very quickly which is what makes this soup so wonderfully thick and hearty. Lentils also add plenty plant-based protein turning this swiss chard soup into a fabulous vegan balanced meal.
Not only is this recipe convenient and packed with nutrients, but it’s also tasty!
With its aromatic spices and fresh lemon and coriander, this soup is anything but bland. It hits the perfect balance of warm, tangy, and a bit spicy (although you can leave the chili flakes out if they’re not your thing.)
Serve with delicious crusty bread, I’m sure these amazing quick panini bread, easy focaccia or focaccia with olives will hit the spot!
List of the ingredients
- Swiss chard
- Red lentils
- Spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, crushed red pepper)
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Fresh coriander
- Lemon
- Salt & pepper
How to make Swiss chard soup
(Note: this is a quick description with step-by-step photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Saute’ diced onion in olive oil until translucent
- Add spices and garlic
- Stir in the chopped Swiss chard stems
- Add red lentils and vegetable broth
- Cook until the lentils are soft
- Blend part of the soup with a stick blender
- Add salt, Swiss chard leaves and half of the coriander leaves
- Cook for about 2 minutes until the leaves are soft but still bright green
- Serve with lemon juice, fresh coriander and chili flakes!
Recipe notes
What does Swiss chard taste like?
Swiss chard is very similar to spinach. Once their green leaves are cooked – and they cook quikly – they have a mild sweet taste and tender texture. You can eat both stems and leaves, however, the stems take a bit longer to cook.
Swiss chard soup ingredients
AROMATIC: ONION and garlic are sauteed in extra virgin olive oil until tender and fragrant. I keep this flavor base simple, but if you have one carrot and one celery rib to use up, make this easy soffritto to add extra flavor and vegetables.
SPICES: a combination of cumin, coriander and cinnamon for a deep flavor, the crushed red pepper for a subtle heat, and finally the turmeric for its health benefits and amazing color to make this soup bright and vibrant.
RED LENTILS: they’re nutty, a bit sweet, and bring plenty of nutrients and plant-based protein. They also add a delicious creamy consistency without a drop of cream, especially if you give the soup a blitz using an immersion blender.
SWISS CHARD: SUPER healthy with sweet leaves and stems. Don’t overcook the leaves, but keep them tender but bright and green.
LEMON JUICE AND FRESH CORIANDER (TO FINISH): this Swiss chard soup would not be complete without the final addition of lemon a generous sprinkle of fresh coriander. Don’t skip the lemon!
More legume and vegetable soup?
If you love hearty soups packed with legumes and vegetables, you might love these recipes:
- Smoky chickpea & lentil soup
- White beans and kale soup
- Red lentil soup with carrots
- Mediterranean chickpea soup
If you make this Swiss chard soup recipe or if you have any questions, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x
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Swiss Chard Soup with Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or olive oil
- 1 onion, diced (any color is fine)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ Tbsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cup (10oz-300 grams) red lentils, rinsed and pick over
- 1 bunch (7oz/200 grams) swiss chard, leaves and stems separated
- 5 ½ cup (1.3 litre) water or low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander
- 1 large lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Wash the chard and with a knife separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems and slice the leaves (but keep leaves and stems separate).
- In a large pot or Dutch oven warm the olive oil, add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, all the spices, give a good stir, and cook for a further 20-30 seconds.
- Add the lentils, the chopped stems and the broth (alternately, warm water will work too). Bring to the boil.
- Reduce to medium heat, cover with a lid and cook until the lentils are soft, it will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Once the lentils are done, blend part of the soup with an immersion blender (alternately, transfer part of the soup into a highspeed blender, but be careful, it's hot and in this case you might want to turn the heat off and wait 5 minutes until it cools down a bit).
- Add the Swiss chard leaves and half of the coriander, push them down with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook for about 3 minutes until the leaves are tender but still bright and green.
- Turn off the heat, taste and adjust the seaoning adding more salt and pepper according to your taste. You might want to adjust the consinstency too, feel free to add a bit of warm water if you wish to thin out the soup.
- Serve with extra chili flakes if you like, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice (about a quarter of lemon per serving is fine, don't skip it!). Enjoy.
Notes
- Swiss chard: I used rainbow chard in this recipe, but regular swiss chard with the white stem works well too.
- Storage: This soup will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It will absorb all the liquid as it sits and to reheat, add some water until it’s thinned to the desired consistency, then gently warm over medium-low heat.
- Nutrition facts: Please note that the nutrition values are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. The nutrition value is for one serving (about 2 cups).
I usually get chard with my CSA order but not this week… I was so looking forward to trying this recipe! Do you think collards would work instead?
Hi Emilie! I’ve never made this soup with collards, but I think they can work fine. x
The best soup ever. I make it regularly.
I LOVE your feedback, Jane!
Thanks a lot for sharing. x
Hi want to make soon- does it freeze well?
Yes, it freezes pretty well. x
This is really excellent, delicious and full of flavour. I am often looking for recipes using chard as we have quite a lot in the garden this year and I will make this regularly.
Thank you for including grams as it saves so much time converting from cups!
That’s great to hear, Diana! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I’m very pleased to hear it was delicious. x
Although this was my first time making soup, it was super easy and quick. I felt like it needed a little more lemon so I squeezed a total of 2 full lemons and it made it that much more flavourful.
Thanks! Will definitely add it to the winter meal roster.
Amazing! I’m glad your fist soup turned out so delicious, Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Tamar. x
This is fabulous! Love the lentils in it, and the lemon juice really makes it wonderful. It’s my go-to Swiss chard recipe now (endless Swiss chard from the garden!) Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing, Kathy! I’m so glad you have your go-to Swiss chard soup recipe from now on. : )
My first time cooking with Swiss Chard. Loved the soup! I did add a can of petite diced tomatoes w/juice. Loved the Middle Eastern spice blend.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Thanks so much for taking the time to share. : )
This might be the most delicious, most flavorful soup I’ve had ever. I’ve shared it with different family members and everyone has been blown away. I used Better than Bouillon veggie stock as the broth base. I also added some chickpeas.
Absolutely blown away at how good this soup is. The spices were PERFECT. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You’re so welcome, Lauren! You’ve made my day with your wonderful feedback. : )
Thanks a million for sharing. x
A neighbour gave us a large bunch of Chard and I had to make it into this soup, talk about delicious. When I sent her a note thanking her I recommended she use some Chard to make this recipe. She did and when I saw her husband he thanked me for sending them the recipe, he said it was so good it will be made over and over until they run out of Chard. Many thumbs up from Sidney, BC
I’m so pleased, Pam! Thanks so much for your lovely feedback, and thanks for sharing the recipe too! : )
Greetings from London. x
Absolutely delish. We have a farm here in newfoundland and I was able to use all local veg for the soup. Incredible! I also out in a few collard greens. mmmm
Oh that’s fantastic, I would love to make this soup with local super fresh veggies! : )
Thanks so much for sharing your lovely feedback, Janelle. x
Grew chard for 1st time ever. Had home grown onion, garlic an coriander (it had flowered)used 1/2 tip curry powder a few dried chillies. Hey presto served with fresh coriander and lemon juice. Tasted fantastic!!!
I’m so happy it turned out super delicious, and I’m so jealous about your home grown chard : )
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback.
Have a great weekend! x
Hello Katia,
Thank you for sharing this recipe, we LOVED it! The first time I made it I added a diced carrot, a leek and celery because they were in my fridge and needed to be used – fabulous! This second time I just made it I added carrot, leek and a potato. Again, wonderful flavours! I did wonder about the fresh coriander. Haven’t used it before and wasn’t sure if I should use the stems too. Decided to just use the leaves and chopped them. It seemed to work :). Also, I had no idea I could use Swiss Chard stalks in the soup! Always threw them away. Not any more! They taste great!
Thanks again Katia this is among my favourite soups 🙂
You’ve made my day, Trish! I’m so pleased you loved this soup and thanks so much for sharing your lovely feedback. : )
This was amazing! Made the recipe exactly as stated and it was perfect. Will definitely be making again. Next time, I’ll likely double it so I can eat it for lunch all week with warm naan.
I’m so pleased. Colleen! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback.
Have a great weekend. x
Fantastic recipe that I solely reserve my chard for that I grow on my allotment, I even leave the leftovers thick sometimes without adding water and have with rice as a simple dhal dish.
Thank you
Andy H
I’m so happy to hear that, Andrew! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback. : )
Have a lovely weekend. x
this is my new go to soup. made with whatever greens I have. its easy and so tasty. thankyou
That’s great to hear, Sharon! Thanks for sharing your feedback, I appreciate. X